The third source that I am writing about is one that was found in my very own library, right here at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire on the 5th floor of the archival collections. This primary source is the collection of the Margo House Papers that describe how women’s rights, specifically in Eau Claire, WI, improved through the years 1973-1980. Margo House was born in August 1929 and grew up to get her bachelor’s degree in art and history. After school, she moved on to work for the board of Regents at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire for four years, and following that she actually taught the subject of English at UWEC. During the 1970’s House was an active part in the rights of women in Wisconsin, and was even the president of the Wisconsin Feminist Project Fund, as well as the state coordinator for the National Organization for Women (NOW).
This primary source is very helpful because not only do these papers portray the evolution of what NOW is, it also gives local information about the organization which is very helpful in my individual inquiry. Having so much content in this source, it is hard to know exactly what to read, and what to leave out. I think that having the actual documents that Margo House contributed to really create emotion for those of us who live in the city of Eau Claire, WI, or may attend UWEC. This source strengthens the answer to my research question: “How did women’s rights evolve in the late 1800’s and the state of Wisconsin?” by creating localization not only for me, but for all of the women that do live, or have previously lived, in the beautiful city of Eau Claire.
Not only do the Margo House papers provide subsequent information on my topic, they also use the rhetorical term of kiaros, or timeliness. By being created in a time that, in every way, was very important in the shaping of women’s rights, makes this source worthy of taking a close look at. I think this source is a very reliable one because the papers in the collection were written during the timeframe of which I am concerned. This also builds credibility for Margo House because of the things she says in the papers regarding her involvement in various women’s groups focused on Eau Claire. However, this source is missing information for the rest of the state regarding the rights of women in society. After knowing information from the Margo House papers, I would like to know more about what organizations were involved in the equalization of women’s rights, whether they be state or locally based.
From reading all of my sources, I find it very intriguing to continue my search on this topic. I have learned so much, but there is still so much that I really would like to know too. Before diving into my research I never knew the history of women’s rights at all in the state of Wisconsin, and knowing more about why and when these rights were established really peaks my interest. I would, however, like to narrow my search to something deeper in this topic, which has not been noted at this time yet
I think you did a really good job explaining her contributions to the Eau Claire area and explaining who she was. This sounds like a really good source because of it’s in depth explanation of NOW which is critical to your research question. This is also a good source because it’s a primary source and shows great kairos which is important in getting a first hand look at what was going on. I think the graphic at the top is a good asset to your blog post, good job!
Julia, your source about the Margo House papers seems super interesting and it sounds that it helped you further target in on specific kiarotic expamples from the 1800s. By what I got out of your blog, it seems that you are not quite sure of what you want to focus on within the wide variety of women’s rights events and or historical formation. I think you should either pick a certain women’s activist group or particular region within Wisconsin that you can research more deeply. You could focus in on the Eau Claire region and include information from Margo House’s life as well as expand your research to the groups she was involved in. I think this is a great first hand source but I also feel like it/you may not have really explained what she accomplished to contribute to womens rights. Overall, I am excited to see what you further target your research on and I am interested in seeing what other sources you find connecting to women’s rights. Good work!